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49 Responses to “Chart Explaining the Eat to Live Program”

The Simple Veganista site has a Creamy Lemon Herb dressing that is really good and soy, oil and dairy free. It is made with hemp seeds for creamy texture. My plant-based friends love it. I have adapted it to become Lime chipotle dressing, Creamy jalapeno, its basic and forgiving. It has become a staple in our house.

Hi
I lost 20 lbs over the course of a year primarily through Dr. Fuhrman’s program. Cutting out animal flesh, most carbohydrates, oils — huge calorie savings there (at 120 calories for a tablespoon of olive oil!). I feel lighter and more ‘balanced.’ I’m getting ready to start on juicing greens and green smoothies as I just can’t eat the amount of raw green produce that he recommends. (Salads are boring without the oil/vinegar and I haven’t really found good replacements yet). I initially got my 50 grams of daily protein primarily from a rice protein smoothie (Nutribiotic brand) and slowly increased my beans/legumes intake, while maintaining a moderate level of seeds and nuts which are high in protein (but fat too). I love this way of eating but need to keep tweaking it when I find myself slacking on the greens consumption. I love cooked greens but still find myself consuming less than he recommends sometimes. I’m about to start tracking my food intake in a journal – as I did while losing weight. It made all the difference. I could see in writing what I’d eaten and could adjust and recalibrate the next day. Thanks for a chance to hear about the ETL again. I think I’ll join the yahoo-groups. Thanks for your website. I’m looking for a “fatfree/ soyfree/glutenfree/vegan” website – with simple recipes. If anyone knows of one, please let me know. Many thanks and blessings to everyone.

I really like this nutrition plan and have never been hungry on it, plus I feel great….but I am really not losing much weight. I want to lose about 40 to 45 pounds, I have the book and have read it cover to cover. Are the soup and stew recipes in the book all appropriate for the 6 week plan? I think I must be messing up somewhere. So if a soup calls for corn, among other ingredients, or ends up including cooked carrots for example, should I avoid oatmeal for bfast that day? Or a whole wheat pita for lunch? I have tried the hummus
recipes but even though the beans are OK, I worry about the tahini….what does the limit on seeds and nuts mean for incorporating hummus? Any ideas out there?

Is there any way to download and print out this chart, the “the salad is the main dish” poster, or any other good posters you have here? I can’t find them on Dr. Fuhrman’s website, and I would love to have some of these to post here in my kitchen!

I just had a baby 5 weeks ago. I was lucky and did not gain too much weight. I have about 12 more pounds to loose to get to pre-prego weight. I came across this website in search for a vegan eating plan to loose weight. I have been a Raw Vegan in the past(28-early thirties), a regular vegan and a vegetarian of sorts(20s and 30s). I have also eaten a paleo diet in my early twenties and regular standard american diet growing up. I have felt the best on a highly raw vegan diet with lots of cooked veggies. My husband has gotten me to eat more beans and grains and I know I cannot eat as much as he does. Now that I am breastfeeding I want to make sure I get enough nutrients. I want to eat the healthiest way possible for both my baby and myself and encourage my husband to as well. He is very into the plant based diet. Will I be getting enough calories following this plan while breastfeeding??

I have been enjoying reading the comments as I am a newbie to ETL. I started dieting at the age of 8, always very active. My weight went out of control when I hit menopause even training for a marathon did not help me loose.Last 6 years has been brutal. I know as a primary caregiver I can be stressed at times which apparently can cause belly fat. I started ETL almost two weeks ago and already have lost 5 pounds,no cravings,no bloating and high energy.I am over 60 and training for a Mud Run in the fall.I would like to loose at least 50lbs. I am 5’4″ tall and weigh in at 170. Also my goal is to bring down my cholesterol numbers with this healthy eating plan. I was already a vegetarian for the last 3 years so it is easy to eat the amounts required.

I am 64, 5’9″ 200 and want to get down to 180. Just starting a pretty aggressive physical routine. Weight lifting 3 x/wk, 6 hours tennis /wk, hard road biking 3 hours per week.
Is it ok/should I add a scoop of protein (25 gms protein) to strawberry smoothy so that I don’t lose muscle mass….I don’t want to lose muscle, only fat, of course.

Does anyone have ideas on how to stop wondering into the kitchen between meals.
I have followed ETL for a year, and am an active grandmother. I need help to set my mind and be aware of old habits of wondering into the kitchen . I walk outside every day even in cold, icy weather. Any suggestions?

Since I’m an Indian vegetarian, I can easily see myself doing the 6-week vegetarian plan. But when I look at the meal plans, it hardly provides more than a cup of lentils… Can I have more and still lose weight? I really hope so because if I can really eat unlimited quantities of beans, I can so do this!

HI everyone!
This is my 6th day on ETl 6 week program. I lost 8 pounds already and I really am never hungry–even for in between snacks! I made the anti-cancer last night to get me through the week at dinner. It is delish! I used less carrots tho and only peas. I feel great and energetic. I am taking B12 , vit c and multi vitamin tho because I started getting leg cramps on day 4. I also added a banana to my smoothies every morning since. Good luck everyone and thanks for listening!

This is day 4 of a not so aggressive move towards the 6 week plan. I’m having two cups of coffee in the morning and will work my way down. Sweetener is out, except for in the coffee and gum (which I’m also working on). I had myself convinced that I already was eating a pretty healthy diet (I had no idea why the scale was moving in an upward direction ;)). Was diagnosed about a year ago with hypothyroidism, which seemed like a destiny to never be able to lose weight again. Well, day 4 I said right? Not 100% compliant yet right? The scale has moved a bit down, I know it’s most likely water, but it’s nice to see. I know I’ll be okay moving forward, as long as this headache goes away. Thanks for your posts. I read them all and felt inspired to share.

I have been on the eat to live diet for almost 10 months now and I have lost 105 lbs! Between eat to live and this website I have made and eaten a lot of delicious food that has made me more healthy instead of less.

Thanks Susan for running this website, I doubt I would have been nearly so successful without this delicious and healthy resource!

A message to unccman who posted on June 26th. Be careful about how much water you drink. More is not necessarily better. Too much water will flush minerals and electrolytes out or your system. As well, it is really hard on your kidneys to process that much fluid. Unless you are training 3-5 hours a day, 10 glasses of fluid a day is plenty. If you are craving that much fluid a day and with the rapid weight loss that is “unusual” have your blood sugar checked by your doctor. Good luck on your journey!

Yes Scila, just get used to the saltfree life. Later you will learn to manage. Use pepper, oranges, lemon, spikes, salsa, hot pepper and beans to flavor your food. I stirfry all my veggies! Love it.
Just drink water or squeeze a lemon in it. You will get used to it. Be dilligent you will loose a LOT of weight and look fabulous. Like 15 years younger. Promis! I did it!
Fruit juices when squeezed loose all their fiber!!!! You dont want that. It is the fiber that helps you fill up and loose weight. Also the fruitjuice will go quickly in your blood raising your sugar level and trigging your insuline reactions and so on! You dont want that. Just stick to simple and let us know when you have good news. And READ THE BOOK!

Do i really have to cut salt completly ? i find very hard to eat veggies with ZERO salt . I would also like to know what do you guyz drink other then water ? I dont understand why in the book says no fruit juice…i mean if u can eat oranges why cant u squeeze it and make a juice ? can u guyz help me out please .

I’ve been on it for 9 days and have lost 17 pounds. It takes a lot of determination but with the results I’m seeing, I have plenty! No, I don’t think these results are “normal” but I believe it’s a combination of the following: how drastic of a change it was for me and what I was eating, how much I have to lose, and the fact that I’m playing tennis 2-3 times a week. Also note that I drink about 20-25 (8oz) cups of water a day.

I am on day 2 and so far so good. No headaches or cravings. I do not drink coffee or sodas but like an occasional crystal lite. Since I can’t have that I have been drinking Stash herbal teas. They are sweetened with orange peel and other spices. Very satisfying.

I have been following Eat to Live for 4 weeks now. Only had fish once in the 4 weeks, no oils/fats, and limited nuts. I have only lost 5 pounds and am so frustrated. I have also been feeling tired and weak at times. Can anyone recommend a way to get the scale to move? I have a foot injury and cannot do strenuous exercise. I recall the Dr saying not to worry about exercise at first – lose the weight and you will want to exercise. Help!

First six weeks consist of beans, fruits, vegetables, and limited quantities of whole grains, nuts and starchy vegetables. Yes you can have tofu.
All of your questions will be answered when you read “Eat To Live”.
Good luck!

So, I am assuming fish is out of the question? Even salmon? What does limited quantities mean? Once a week? Twice a week? Please, Susan V. I need answers! I am very curios; I hears about Dr. Furhman on Dr. Oz. My curiosity has been piqued. Also, I drink kombuscha. Is this forbidden as well? What about shirataki noodles? They derive from a plant source. Are they okay or forbidden? I eagerly await your responses!

So, I am assuming fish is out of the question? Even salmon? What does limited quantities mean? Once a week? Twice a week? Please, Susan V. I need answers! I am very curios; I hears about Dr. Furhman on Dr. Oz. My curiosity has been piqued. Also, I drink kombuscha. Is this forbidden as well? What about sheritaki noodles?

I apologize for so many posts. The questions arise as I to read your site! Breads and cereals should be avoided. I cannot remember the exact words. My nutritionist suggested I eat Ezekiel 4:9 bread which is made of sprouts. Is that okay? Also, I eat whole grain cereals that include quinoa, flax, etc. is that okay? Just curious. I intend to purchase the books tomorrow. Too early in the morning to do otherwise.

I started this plan in feb that is 3 months ago. I lost 44 pounds and still need to loose another 44 at least. It is the best eating plan I have ever been on. Please start RIGHT NOW if you want to loose weight and live healty. I am a RN and I know health and health problems. This is a good way to be tin and prevent worse. my bloodless urge dropped and I sleep AS A BABY. I stopped snorring. in the first monhtI lost one pound a day! Without exercising! I started exercising when I felt better and dropped a size. I am excited about this plan! follow it. Sorry for the mistakes in this post. I am using an iPad for the first time. keep your eyes on the price and go for it. I dropped 3 sizes in my clothing. had to buy cheap new once at the thrift store, because I hope to keep loosing and then I will buy a whole new wardrobe.

I am seven weeks and 28 pounds lighter into the six week (agressive) plan.
This is the easiest diet I have ever been on (and believe me there have been many).
Hats off to Dr. Fuhrman and the Eat to Live Plan.

I’m just getting started with ETL and loving it! I’ve lost 14lbs in about 4 weeks and feel wonderful! Never deprived or feeling that ‘toxic’ hunger. I highly recommend this program to anyone with health concerns!

I was a vegan years ago, I did enjoy it, I was skinny then, I staerted to eat meat and dairy, then I had a thyroid problem and gianed 30 I could not lose until found this diet.
I just lost 18 lbs. in the 6 week program.
If you follow this chart to the tee you will lose weight. I do not think it is possible to fail, but you must stay true to the diet.

When I was creating my last recipe, Oven-Fried Okra, I suspected that the batter I used, a combination of cornmeal and brown rice flour, would make a wonderfully crunchy breading for other vegetables. I lost no time checking that theory out on one of my favorite summer veggies, eggplant. I’m happy to say that I […]

When I was first beginning my search for a new home in Portland late last Spring, Mike and Kelly took me out to a secret spot beyond the Portland area they like to hike and swim. It was a hard hike for me on a hot day, complete with walking across a log bridge with […]